Air India's Rs 110-cr facility inaugurated at Thiruvananthapuram

Opening a new chapter in the burgeoning global Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) business and putting Kerala Capital into the list of global off-shoring MRO destinations, the Rs 110-crore MRO of the national carrier Air India was commissioned in the vicinity of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Friday.

The Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Vayalar Ravi, lit the traditional lamp and unveiled the plaque to inaugurate the MRO set up on 6.07 hectares of land given by the State free of cost to the national carrier at Chakka.

With the commissioning of the modern MRO, the national carrier will be able to take care of all engineering requirements in-house initially of Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Air India Express, the no-frills airline of the national carrier.

All engineering checks from transits to ‘C' can be undertaken in the MRO that has a 5,000 sq mt workshop, warehouse and office space.

Later, addressing the gathering, the Union Minister said the operational efficiency and the often heard complaints of flight delays of Air India Express and Air India can be avoided with the opening of the new facility in the State capital.

The aircraft repair and maintenance will be carried out here instead of waiting for engineers rushing in from Mumbai or sending the aircraft to the MRO in Mumbai.

“It is a milestone in the aviation history and a feather in the cap of the Capital,” he said.

Mr Ravi said the MRO will create job opportunities for many and instructions had been given to those managing the MRO to recruit local people to the unit here. “There will be fewer transfers from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram. The locals will get priority in the recruitments,” he said.

The State Minister for Ports and Excise, Mr K. Babu; Dr Shashi Tharoor, MP; the Director of Engineering, Air India, Mr K.M. Unni; the Chief Operating Officer of Kochi-based Air India Express, Mr S. Chandrakumar; and the Chief Engineer, AIE, Mr H.R. Jagannath, were present.

Dr Tharoor, who presided over the function, said the MRO that has come up in the State Capital after the one in Mumbai, will emerge as a money spinner for the national carrier once the third party business is obtained. He hoped that the national carrier will set up more back offices in the MRO once the State makes available more land in the Chakka premises.

Mr Babu, who was the guest of honour, said making available more land for the MRO and the development of the airport was a challenge as local people are opposing land acquisition. The Government is ready for coming out with a package for those losing land for the development of the airport, he added.

Around 150 personnel will take care of the engineering and allied activities in the MRO. Of them, 30 will be aircraft maintenance engineers (skilled) and 50 will be mechanics (semi-skilled).

The cleaning and other jobs will be outsourced and the locals will get priority in recruitment.

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